Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

 

(From Amazon)

In Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl, Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life - and she's really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow Series when they were just kids; it's what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath's sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can't let go. She doesn't want to.

Now that they're going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn't want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She's got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words...And she can't stop worrying about her dad, who's loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories? Open her heart to someone? Or will she just go on living inside somebody else's fiction?

(My Review)

I thought this was a sweet YA book.  I thought it did a great job dealing with the struggles of leaving home from school, and the struggle of finding an identity separate from your twin.  I also thought that the relationship between Cath and her dad was interesting.  I felt like the book was looking at the topic of co-dependency, and making sure you live your life.

There is also a graphic novel of this book.

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

 

(From Amazon)

Ellingham Academy is a famous private school in Vermont for the brightest thinkers, inventors, and artists. It was founded by Albert Ellingham, an early 20th century tycoon, who wanted to make a wonderful place full of riddles, twisting pathways, and gardens. "A place", he said, "where learning is a game." 

Shortly after the school opened, his wife and daughter were kidnapped. The only real clue was a mocking riddle listing methods of murder, signed with the frightening pseudonym "Truly, Devious". It became one of the great unsolved crimes of American history. 

True-crime aficionado Stevie Bell is set to begin her first year at Ellingham Academy, and she has an ambitious plan: She will solve this cold case. That is, she will solve the case when she gets a grip on her demanding new school life and her housemates: the inventor, the novelist, the actor, the artist, and the jokester. But something strange is happening. Truly Devious makes a surprise return, and death revisits Ellingham Academy. The past has crawled out of its grave. Someone has gotten away with murder.

(My Review)

I love this series!  A mystery at a secluded boarding school which is tied to a mystery from the past!  Great characters, with an intriguing story.

Series:

1.  Truly Devious

2.  The Vanishing Stair

3.  The Hand on the Wall

4.  The Box in the Woods (coming June 2021)

Castle in the Clouds by Kerstin Gier

 

(From Amazon)

Way up in the Swiss mountains, there's an old grand hotel steeped in tradition and faded splendor. Once a year, when the famous New Year's Eve Ball takes place and guests from all over the world arrive, excitement returns to the vast hallways.

Sophie, who works at the hotel as an intern, is busy making sure that everything goes according to plan. But unexpected problems keep arising, and some of the guests are not who they pretend to be. Very soon, Sophie finds herself right in the middle of a perilous adventure―and at risk of losing not only her job, but also her heart.

(My Review)

This book was a bit of an escape.  Spending the winter holidays in a snow-covered castle-hotel sounds like a dream (minus the job).  Sophie is making the best of her time working at the hotel, and manages to meet a handsome young man and become entwined in quite the adventure.  

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

 

(From Amazon)

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future.

With high-stakes action and a smart, resourceful heroine, Cinder is a Cinderella retelling that is at once classic and strikingly original.

(My Review)

This Cinderella story of a young cyborg-girl meets boy (who happens to meet a prince)... I mean, what more could you ask for.  Oh, and there is a plague (cough...I think we can relate).   A great read that makes you look forward to reading the next in the series.

The Lunar Chronicles:

1. Cinder

2.  Scarlet

3.  Cress

4.  Winter

The Cousins by Karen M. McManus

 

(From Amazon)

Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are cousins, but they barely know each another, and they've never even met their grandmother. Rich and reclusive, she disinherited their parents before they were born. So when they each receive a letter inviting them to work at her island resort for the summer, they're surprised . . . and curious.

Their parents are all clear on one point--not going is not an option. This could be the opportunity to get back into Grandmother's good graces. But when the cousins arrive on the island, it's immediately clear that she has different plans for them. And the longer they stay, the more they realize how mysterious--and dark--their family's past is.

The entire Story family has secrets. Whatever pulled them apart years ago isn't over--and this summer, the cousins will learn everything.

(My Review)

This book was great.  It was a page turner, and I couldn't put it down.  As the story unfolds, you learn it from each of the cousins' perspective.  Why did the grandmother disinherit her children??  Why has she suddenly summoned her grandchildren??  This is a great story that leaves you guessing until the very end.

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

(From Amazon)

Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: Survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why - or even who Tobias Hawthorne is. 

To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch - and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: Dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. 

Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a con-woman, and he's determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather's last hurrah: A twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.

(My Review)

I LOVED this book!  What if you received a huge inheritance from someone you didn't know?  What if you had to go stay in a mansion (with the deceased's family) in order to receive the inheritance?  Who can you trust?  I couldn't put it down?

(From Amazon)

Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: Survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why - or even who Tobias Hawthorne is. 

To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch - and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: Dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. 

Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a con-woman, and he's determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather's last hurrah: A twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive. 

(My Review)

I LOVED this Book!!!!  I couldn't put it down!!!  You receive an inheritance out of know-where.  You have to go live in a mansion to receive the inheritance, with the family of the deceased.  Do you think they are happy about you receiving this large portion of the estate???  Who can you trust?  I cannot wait for the next book to come out!  

Karma Moon- Ghost Hunter by Melissa Savage

 (From Amazon)

Karma Moon is a firm believer in everything "woo-woo", as her dad calls it. So when she asked her trusty Magic Eight Ball if the call asking her dad to create a ghost-hunting docuseries was her dad's big break, it delivered: "No doubt about it." Because the universe never gets it wrong. Only people do. 

Karma and her best friend, Mags, join her dad's Totally Rad film crew at a famous haunted hotel in Colorado over her spring break. Their mission: find a ghost and get it on camera. If they succeed, the show will be a hit, they can pay rent on time, and just maybe, her mom will come back. 

Unfortunately, staying at a haunted hotel isn't a walk in the park for someone with a big case of the what-ifs. But her dad made Karma the head of research for the docuseries, so she, Mags, and a mysterious local boy named Nyx must investigate every strange happening in the historically creepy Stanley Hotel. Karma hopes that her what-ifs don't make her give up the ghost before they can find a starring spirit to help their show go viral - and possibly even get them a season two. 

With Melissa Savage's quirky cast of characters and spooky setting underlaid by a touching and relatable struggle against anxiety and grief over her fractured family, Karma Moon - Ghost Hunter is bound to charm and delight.

(My review)

I thought this book was adorable!  As a fan of Netflix docu-series, mysteries, ghost-stories, etc., I wasn't sure what to expect.  This was a middle school book, so it was a light read.  There was quite the cast of characters and a fun venture into the world of paranormal sluths.  The author also honored the horror genre by setting the book at the famous Stanley Hotel (aka The Shining by Stephen King) and also made parallels to Steven Spielberg's movie, Poltergeist.  I thought the book was well-written, and I couldn't stop reading.